A detailed breakdown reveals that Jack Della Maddalena performed approximately 90% of his defensive actions using a boxing guard, which proved ineffective against Carlos Prates' diverse striking arsenal of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. Della Maddalena fought primarily in southpaw stance despite previous issues with left leg damage against Makhachev, and when he switched to orthodox, Prates punished his left side with middle kicks. The analysis suggests Della Maddalena's best chance was aggressive forward pressure to keep Prates against the cage, but he lacked the speed and aggression needed. Prates demonstrated exceptional versatility, striking from multiple angles with elbows, knees, and punches, and is described as a combination of Alex Pereira and Anderson Silva. For a potential Makhachev versus Prates matchup, the analysis notes that Prates has effectively destroyed the lead legs of southpaw opponents Edwards and Della Maddalena with low kicks, creating intriguing questions about how Makhachev would handle the striking threat.
